“In your forbearance take me not away; know that for your sake I bear reproach. Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts.” (Jeremiah 15:15b-16)
Jeremiah the prophet complained to the Lord many times during the course of his ministry. The words we read this week he uttered in response to the reaction of the people to his proclamation of the destruction of Jerusalem. He complained of his loneliness because his fellow Jews ostracized him. He protested that he was being treated unfairly for spoke the truth.
The Lord rebuked the prophet by reminding him of his calling. The Lord had promised to be with him as long as he preached the truth. Therefore, God’s word would be fulfilled as He promised despite the opposition of the people of Jerusalem.
No doubt many of us have felt that God has abandoned us. Probably some feel this way today, maybe due to illness or financial difficulty or the death of a loved or the violence and incivility that surround us. While we should always take our woes, fears, and suffering to the Lord in prayer, what Jeremiah suffered was because he was faithful to the Word of God. Which of us has suffered ridicule and loss because we ate from the Lord’s Word and we were faithful to it? And as we eat of His Word, that Word makes us holy, living examples of God’s righteousness. And as we live His Word, relatives, friends, colleagues will ridicule and abuse us because we choose not to join them in their licentious ways. We are ridiculed because as we choose to remain faithful to the Word of God, we reject what the media, the government, and a multitude of cultural icons and internet influencers are preaching about gender, sexuality, abortion, and a whole host of alternate lifestyles that reject and insult the Word of God. That is the kind of suffering we must expect if we live out our faith in Jesus Lord and Savior.
We would do well to follow the example of Jeremiah. We should take our feelings, complaints, anxiety, and doubts to the Lord and not run from Him. He knows how we feel anyway, and He wants us to trust in Him. Our faith in Him helps us realize that, despite what the world tries to force upon us, no matter the pressure we feel to conform, the Lord God Almighty alone is the source of true wisdom, comfort, and strength. As we remain faithful to our calling to love and serve Him, to live according to His will, we will find that His truth and goodness will always prevail over evil, no matter the cost to us. We will find that His strong arms of comfort are with us to give us peace and strength in the midst of all the chaos.